Striking Forms and Inky Hues Define This Vancouver Residence

Some of Canada’s most darling design vernacular is recorded within the historic walls of urban dwellings that continue to endear audiences. Architect Biran O’Brian of WORKS OFFICE, in collaboration with interior designer Gillian Segal, adds to the country’s rich architectural accomplishments with a charming residential renovation project in Vancouver’s enviable Annex neighborhood. Here, a distinct heritage is infused with modern ingenuity for a Victorian-era informed domicile contemporized through Art Deco detailing. Bold geometry, striking forms, and inky hues all help to bridge the gap between past and present visual languages while leaving room for dialogue into the future.

Modern, multi-story brick building with a combination of traditional red bricks and unique copper cladding featuring a circular window and contemporary design elements.

Rather than resist it, O’Brian’s structural solution capitalizes on the main facade’s whimsical composition, which comprises a few distinctive pieces original to the house’s construction. The angled wall off the front elevation and a previously underutilized bay window on the building’s south side are integral to the restructured relationship of local context with its current expression as well as its physical presence and expansion.

A small entryway features a black chair with a white cloth draped over it, a red side table with a vase of flowers, a black door, and a checkered floor. Two wall-mounted light fixtures are visible.

A modern dining room with round black chairs, a rectangular table, contemporary light fixtures, a textured wall, and large windows with curtains, all set on a geometric patterned rug.

“I’d say that I’m far more interested in working with and emphasizing the quirks and idiosyncrasies of buildings than I am in removing or rationalizing them,” O’Brian says. “In plan, the bay window was extrapolated into its implied circle. That circle became the singular rotunda of space that extends from the ceiling of the first floor up to the roof. Tangents and additional curves and circles emerge from that rotunda and move throughout the house.”

A modern dining room with a large oval table, dark chairs, and a unique overhead chandelier. The room features large windows with light curtains and a decorative plant on the table.

A bathroom with a large mirror, a marble countertop, a sink with a gold faucet, an orchid in a vase, and a framed picture on the wall.

The home’s curved partitions celebrate circulation as they anchor the volume vertically while providing cues for lateral movement through curvaceous tendrils that extend into individual rooms – features that echo Segal’s ethos. “We often live in such rectilinear spaces, curves always speak to me with the warmth softness, and feminine grace they radiate,” she says. “They provide a great juxtaposition to some of the harder aspects of any space.”

A modern living room features a round skylight, striped sofa, two red armchairs, glass coffee table, metal chairs, floor lamp with a woven shade, and wall art. Background has dining area with hanging light.

Image of a modern, semi-circular rooftop window with sunlight streaming through, showcasing a geometric ceiling design with overlapping wooden and metal elements.

The 3,900-square-foot residence is only typical of modern new-builds as it unfurls programmatically: a sprawling open kitchen, dining, and living space on the ground floor; bedrooms and a study on the first floor; guest and principal suites on the second floor; and a lower level housing the lounge and gym. Spatial and aesthetic solutions, as teased by the exterior, are delightfully nuanced.

Modern kitchen with a large marble island, three stools, a brass faucet, and red cabinetry. Beige tiles cover the backsplash, and a contemporary ceiling light fixture is visible.

A kitchen with terra-cotta cabinets, a black oven with multiple knobs, a tiled backsplash, and a countertop with a vase holding a large flower. Cooking utensils are placed in a cup next to the oven.

The clients, a family of four, invite excitement and intrigue inside with treatments carefully curated by Segal to create interest from tension between existing elements and contemporary concepts. Stained wainscoting and cement tile applied in a classic checkerboard pattern reference historical traditions whereas unexpected textures, extruded walls, and unique approaches to daylighting appeal to contemporary sensibilities. Daring reds, dark greens, and deep blues exude grandeur from cabinets, countertops, carpets, and upholstery in primarily public areas contrasted by more private spaces awash in dreamier hues or creamy off-whites.

Modern kitchen and living area with light wood flooring, red cabinetry, curved white staircase, open shelving, and mesh chairs. Decor includes a wall-mounted plate and a magazine on the coffee table.

A person walks up a staircase in a modern white-walled building with curved architectural elements and a skylight.

Subversive home furnishings also heighten the awareness of duality as it exists in the home. Though dubious looking, the silver ‘chainmail’ chairs are surprisingly comfortable. And lighting fixtures by Anna Karlin and Josef Hoffman nod to the Art Deco era without being ostentatious resulting in approachable sculptural forms.

A staircase is shown from below, with curving white walls and a round window at the top letting in light. A line of spherical lights is mounted on the right wall.

A modern white staircase with wooden handrails, featuring a large abstract painting and a round ceiling light overhead.

“This project was a very paired down, modern interpretation – things were focused. Streamlined forms. Rich, bold, and unique materiality. While something truly authentic to Art Deco would be overwhelming in today’s world,” Segal explains. “Using select components and reinterpreting for this project created something that feels very warm, bold, special, and timeless.”

A bedroom with a neatly made bed featuring blue and gray bedding, a black nightstand with a lamp, framed artwork on the wall, and a large toy giraffe standing on the floor beside the bed.

A bathroom with a double sink vanity, marble countertop, striped wallpaper, and wall-mounted mirrors. Two vases with colorful flowers are placed on the counter.

A baby room features a wooden crib, an elephant plush toy, a rocking chair, a pink ottoman, a large animal-themed artwork, and a window with a roman shade. A modern chandelier is on the ceiling.

A neatly made bed with striped bedding is next to a wooden nightstand with two drawers. The nightstand has a vase of flowers, a book, and is lit by a wall-mounted light fixture above it.

A modern lounge area features a black leather chair with matching ottoman, a tall floor lamp, a side table with a plant, and a wall painting, all set against a light-colored wall with curved detailing.

A small bathroom with dark wooden cabinets and green marble countertop is visible through an open door. The room in the foreground has a black modern chair, a white stone side table, and wall art.

A modern bathroom features a green marble countertop with a sink, adjacent to a walk-in glass shower with a fixed showerhead and handheld sprayer, and a tiled floor.

A person walks down a staircase with minimalist design and geometric shapes, including a circular cutout and clean lines.

A minimalist, light-filled staircase with white walls, wooden steps, and a curved wooden handrail. The design features clean lines and a soft color palette.

A circular skylight in a ceiling reveals a view of a blue sky with some clouds.

A modern bedroom with a neatly made bed, grey pillows, beige bedding, a small bedside table with a vase of flowers, and a glass pendant light. A skylight above displays a sculptural decoration.

A minimalist interior with a white sculptural piece, two beige rectangular wall art pieces, and a small vase with yellow flowers on a white table.

A hallway with built-in wooden wardrobes on both sides, a chest of drawers with a vase of flowers and a picture frame, and a large mirror at the end.

A bathroom with a white freestanding bathtub, a small window, a round mirror, and a patterned beige floor. A striped stool is in front of a vanity, and a large skylight brightens the room.

A modern bathroom features a dual-sink vanity with marble countertops, two oval mirrors, a wall-mounted light fixture, and a striped stool. A small round mirror and decorative greenery are on the side counter.

To see more works by the collaborators visit gilliansegaldesign.com and worksoffice.com.

Photography by Ema Peter and Scott Norsworthy.

With professional degrees in architecture and journalism, New York-based writer Joseph has a desire to make living beautifully accessible. His work seeks to enrich the lives of others with visual communication and storytelling through design. When not writing, he teaches visual communication, theory, and design.